


mirage (or is it love?)

by Pyro__Jo



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29629338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyro__Jo/pseuds/Pyro__Jo
Summary: Josie shrugged and turned back to the hostess and smiled politely. “Josette Saltzman.”The hostess skimmed through her book before looking back at the two apologetically. “I’m sorry. There’s no reservation under that name.”“Try Hope Mikaelson,” Hope spoke up.Josie nibbled her bottom lip worriedly.The hostess looked back at the two a few moments later and shook her head. “There’s no reservation under that name either.”Hope spoke up again. “Is there any reservation with either the last name Mikaelson or Saltzman?”The hostess looked a bit flustered and checked her book again. Finally she lifted her head and looked hesitantly between Hope and Josie. “There’s a reservation for Josette Mikaelson...”OrLizzie guilts Hope and Josie into a blind date with each other. One painfully awkward date later, they come up with a scheme to enact revenge on her.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson & Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 19
Kudos: 142





	mirage (or is it love?)

**Author's Note:**

> i know i shouldn’t be starting a new fic since i haven’t finished any of the other ones i’ve started but i couldn’t get this idea out of my head. i apologize in advance for any mistakes this may have. hope y’all enjoy!

"Come on, Jo. You look amazing. Get moving. You're going to blow Mikaelson's mind when she sees you in that dress." 

Josie rolled her eyes at Lizzie as her twin tried to push her out of her bedroom door. Josie dug her heels in and turned to face her sister. "I know I look amazing. What I can't believe is that I'm going along with this stupid plan of yours." 

"It's only one date. Just give her a chance. She was my roommate in college and one of my best friends. She's really sweet but she's been really lonely lately. She said she was really looking forward to your date and going out with you. At least go and meet her." 

Josie huffed out a breath. "Fine. One date." 

  
Lizzie beamed. "That's all I ask." 

  
Josie got to the restaurant that Lizzie told her to go to and went inside to wait.

  
After about five minutes, a short young woman with slightly curled auburn hair entered the restaurant carrying a small bouquet of flowers. The woman looked around, adjusted her leather jacket, and took a few seconds to rake her fingers through her hair. Her expression resembled that of a lost puppy. A few seconds later, the stranger's sparkling blue eyes met the warmth of Josie's brown eyes. 

  
It took Josie a few moments to realize that the woman was looking at her and then approaching her hesitantly. She really felt like she was in a damn movie scene looking into those eyes. She shook herself into focus. 

  
"Are you Josette?" The woman peered up at her questioningly. 

  
Josie smiled. "It's just Josie, actually. You must be Hope." 

  
"I must be," the woman replied with a small smile of her own. "Uh, these are for you." She pushed the flowers towards Josie. "I wasn't really sure what kind of flowers you liked or if you even liked flowers. You don't have to keep them if you don’t like them. Or, um, I can get rid of them. I don’t even know why I brought-"

  
Josie reached out and took the flowers, chuckling softly. "I love flowers. They're lovely. Thank you, Hope." 

  
Hope smiled, this time more genuinely and extended a hand. "Shall we find our table now?" 

  
Josie blushed faintly and placed her hand in Hope's. "We shall." 

  
The two walked hand in hand over to the hostess who was checking people in by their reservation names. 

  
Josie turned to Hope. "Do you know whose name Lizzie put the reservation under?"

  
Hope shook her head. 

  
Josie shrugged and turned back to the hostess and smiled politely. "Josette Saltzman." 

  
The hostess skimmed through her book before looking back at the two apologetically. "I'm sorry. There's no reservation under that name." 

  
"Try Hope Mikaelson," Hope spoke up. 

  
Josie nibbled her bottom lip worriedly.

  
The hostess looked back at the two a few moments later and shook her head. "There's no reservation under that name either." 

  
Hope spoke up again. "Is there any reservation with either the last name Mikaelson or Saltzman?" 

  
The hostess looked a bit flustered and checked her book again. Finally she lifted her head and looked hesitantly between Hope and Josie. "There's a reservation for Josette Mikaelson…" 

  
Both Hope and Josie blushed profusely. 

  
"Th- that's us," Josie squeaked and blushed even harder, if that was even possible. She released Hope's hand and looked away, attempting to hide her blush.

  
Hope, for her part, looked just as embarrassed, suddenly finding the carpet particularly interesting. 

  
They followed the hostess to their table and settled in. 

  
"I'm so sorry, Hope. I promise I had nothing to do with that. I'm going to murder Lizzie," Josie grumbled. 

  
Hope waved it off. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

  
They exchanged awkward conversation for a little while until their food came. The next few minutes passed silently, save for the occasional comment from one of them about the food or the hustle and bustle of the restaurant around them. 

  
Hope finally cleared her throat and studied Josie for a few moments. "You're not having good time, are you?" She raised her eyebrow questioningly. 

  
Josie blushed and stammered incoherently before averting her gaze and folding her hands in her lap.

  
"Something tells me you weren't exactly as on board with this date as Lizzie made it seem." 

  
Josie looked up and made eye contact with Hope before bashfully dropping her gaze to her hands, a faint blush painting its way across her cheeks.

  
Admittedly Hope was attractive and Josie could see herself going for someone like Hope in normal circumstances. Her auburn hair shone from the last rays of the setting sun shining in through the restaurant window and her deep blue eyes sparkled and danced in the fading light of the sun. Her smile was easy and lit up her face, crinkling the corners of her eyes and making a dimple appear in her cheek when she smiled. 

  
Josie looked back at Hope and straightened her posture, leaning towards Hope to peer at her as directly as Hope was staring at her. "Are you?" Josie quirked an eyebrow. "Having a good time, I mean," she rushed to clarify when Hope looked puzzled. "Or were you not as on board with this as Lizzie made it seem either?" 

  
Hope smirked. "So I take it that you weren't dying to meet me and go out with me?" 

  
Josie gasped. "Is that what Lizzie told you?" 

  
"I believe the phrase she used was 'Wasting away her days pining in her room all alone, waiting for Prince or Princess Charming to come sweep her off her feet.' Her words, not mine." 

  
Josie opened her mouth and snapped it shut again, rendered speechless momentarily. She pouted. "I do not pine in my room alone waiting for Prince or Princess Charming." 

  
Hope chuckled and waggled her eyebrows teasingly at Josie. "That's the part that you're stuck on? Not the part where she made you seem lonely and desperate?" 

  
Josie's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "What I'm really stuck on is why she made you seem like you were no better than a 'Brooding hobbit who lives a reclusive lifestyle and hasn’t been on a date since before the Stone Age.' Her words, not mine." 

Hope's eyes narrowed. "So what I'm gathering is she made us both seem lonely and desperate for a date so we'd go out with each other. Why?" 

  
"Would you have agreed to this date if you hadn't been guilted into it?" 

  
Hope studied Josie for a few moments before sheepishly grinning. "Probably not." 

  
Josie nodded and grinned. "I wouldn't have either." 

  
"I honestly don’t know how I didn't see this coming. She pulled stuff like this all the time in college." 

  
"You think _you_ feel dumb. She did shit like this on a constant basis growing up. Did she ever tell you about the time she tried to set our dad up with the new sheriff in our town when we were in high school? He ended up getting arrested and kept in a jail cell overnight." Josie shook her head at the memory. "I don’t know how I didn't see what she was doing." 

  
Hope's eyes widened comically. "What? Are you serious?" 

  
Josie nodded and chuckled. 

  
Hope sat back in her seat and thought for a few moments. "So she's trying to set us up but she has to know that we'll figure out her scheme eventually. What if we got revenge on her?" 

  
Josie leaned forward and raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening. What do you have in mind?”

"What do you mean 'engaged'? You've had one fucking date! Honestly Josette, I can't be the reasonable twin. I'm not cut out for it. I do rash things and get myself in trouble and you talk me out of it before I end up in jail. That's how we work. How can you get engaged after one date? How do you know she's not an axe murderer?" 

  
"Um, excuse me, _she_ is standing right here." Hope cleared her throat and moved to stand beside Josie, slipping their hands together and interlacing their fingers. "And I was your roommate throughout college. If I was an axe murderer, you would've been the first to know. I suppose that would also mean I'd have to kill you though." Hope shrugged nonchalantly and grinned. "Guess you're going to be my sister in law soon so I'll have to spare you for Josie's sake." 

Josie giggled and Hope winked at her. "You're always telling me to broaden my horizons and be open to possibilities. You were the one who set me up on this date. If she's an axe murderer, you really should've led with that." 

Hope nodded solemnly.

Lizzie studied them for a few seconds. "You can't be serious." 

  
"Why would I joke about this?" Josie maintained eye contact with Lizzie, almost challenging her to say that she had sent her and Hope both out on a date under false pretenses. "Besides, Josette Mikaelson sounds pretty good. Don’t you agree, Lizzie?" Josie gave Lizzie her best "I know what you did and we're going to talk about it later" look.

  
Lizzie opened and snapped her mouth shut a few times. She shifted her weight and huffed out a breath. 

  
Hope smiled softly at Josie and squeezed their linked hands a little tighter. Josie grinned back and had the passing thought that she wished that this was real so she could experience being on the receiving end of that smile for real when Hope wasn't helping her enact revenge on her sister. She shook her head and quickly pushed the thought from her mind.

"How long are we going to keep this up? Not that I mind getting back at Lizzie a little bit." Josie grinned and tilted her head to look down at Hope, who was snuggled against her side. 

  
They had just returned from a fake date and decided to end the evening with cuddling on the couch and watching a movie, which conveniently happened to be around the time that Lizzie returned to the apartment from work. 

  
"How long do you want to keep it up?" Hope wiggled and turned to look back up at Josie. 

  
Josie's breath caught in her throat as she realized their close proximity. _Don't look at her lips. Don't look at her lips. Don't look at her lips._ Despite the mantra her mind was currently screaming at her, Josie's gaze dropped to Hope's lips. _Hope's full, very kissable looking lips_ , Josie's mind unhelpfully supplied. _Oh, fuck me, is she leaning in?_

  
Josie's inner turmoil, along with whatever moment she was sharing with Hope, was cut short by the front door opening and slamming shut. Lizzie appeared in the living room moments later. 

  
Lizzie gave them a disgruntled look but said nothing. 

  
"Do you want to watch a movie with us?" Josie smiled up at Lizzie as if she hadn't just been thinking about how kissable Hope’s lips looked. She really needed to talk to Hope about what point was too far for them to cross. So far they had only held hands and cuddled when they knew Lizzie would be around. They never really discussed boundaries. 

  
Lizzie looked between the two and visibly shuddered. "Pass." 

  
Hope smirked. 

  
When Lizzie left, presumably to go to her own room (not without glaring at them and muttering something about needing an aspirin for her headache), Josie turned slowly to Hope. She fully intended to start the conversation about boundaries. She really did. Her mind, ever the unhelpful, helpless romantic, took the small lull in conversation as an opportunity to wander, conjuring up images of her and Hope on real dates, dates where they continued holding hands even if Lizzie wasn't around. 

  
"Is something wrong, Jo?" Hope's brows furrowed together worriedly. 

  
Josie found it absolutely adorable. It took a considerable amount of self restraint to keep herself from leaning forward and kissing Hope's forehead along the worried creases. Not trusting herself to be able to speak without blurting out that she didn't want to fake it anymore, she settled for shaking her head and smiling what she hoped was a convincing smile. 

  
"You'd tell me if something was wrong though, right? I didn't go overboard with the cuddling, did I?" Hope moved back a little, putting a little distance between herself and Josie. 

  
"No!" Josie almost jumped at the force of her own voice coming out. She cleared her throat and tried again with a little less force. "I mean, no. You didn't do anything wrong. You're perfect." Her smile was more convincing this time. 

  
Hope blushed and the worried crinkle between her brows disappeared. She snuggled back into Josie and pressed play on whatever movie they had agreed on before Lizzie arrived. 

  
Josie swore that her mouth and her brain were teaming up against her heart. _You're perfect? Seriously, dumbass? Why would you say that?_

  
Despite the gay panic taking over every fiber of her being due to Hope's close proximity to her, Josie knew one thing for sure: she was screwed. She was faking things for the two people that she considered herself closest to in life. She was pretending to be engaged to Hope in front of Lizzie and pretending to Hope that her feelings were only friendship and that she was just playing up the engagement for the revenge scheme on Lizzie. 

  
She sighed and sank into Hope's warmth. Any way she looked at it, she was screwed.

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you think and what you would like to see in the future :)


End file.
